The wind rises at the end of the Ming Dynasty

On the long plateau, the steel jungle that had just endured the baptism of arrows yet remained unmoved stirred at the sound.

Countless heavily armored infantrymen of the Jingnan Army, almost simultaneously, drew their bows and nocked arrows with a chillingly synchronized movement.

The bamboo frame of the composite bow creaked continuously under the immense force of the pull.

The bows and arrows used by the Shun army were the Kaiyuan bows commonly used by the Ming Dynasty's border troops.

The tensile strength is around 40 to 70 jin.

The advantage of the Kaiyuan bow lies in its accuracy and efficiency, making it suitable for both infantry and mounted archery. However, its disadvantage is its relatively low draw weight, making it difficult to penetrate armor.

The bows and arrows used by these heavily armored infantrymen of the Jingnan Army were all the same Manchu strong bows as those used by the Qing army.

These strong bows were all captured from the defeated Eight Banners during the Battle of Jining.

The Manchu bow is a heavy bow with immense strength designed for foot archery and armor penetration. It has a very high draw weight, but it is difficult to control the direction of the arrow at medium to long ranges. It can only shoot accurately at close range.

The Kaiyuan bow has a slender bow tip, while the Manchu bow has a large bow tip that curves backward. This unique shape highlights their differences.

Manchu bows used in actual combat generally had a draw weight of around 80 jin (approximately 40 catties), which is equivalent to a modern 100-pound hard bow.

At this moment, these incredibly powerful bows were drawn to their full extent, with thick, armor-piercing arrows nocked on the strings, their arrowheads gleaming coldly in the morning light.

The heavy pulling force caused the arms of the heavily armored infantrymen of the Jingnan Army to tremble uncontrollably.

"throat----"

A sharp, high-pitched swan cry, like metal scraping against the cold air, suddenly soared into the sky, instantly drowning out all the noise on the battlefield and clearly reaching everyone's ears.

The sound was particularly jarring on the silent plateau.

"Boom—Boom boom boom—"

A dull, deafening roar suddenly exploded in everyone's ears. It was the sound of hundreds of Manchu bows being released at the same time, like a giant war drum beating in one's chest, making even the air tremble.

Immediately following was the sharp whistling of countless arrows tearing through the air as they left the bowstring.

The sound was different from the "whoosh" of the Shun army's arrows; it was a deeper, more terrifying, sharper sound.

The thick, armor-piercing arrows instantly broke free from the bowstring, carrying enormous kinetic energy as they coalesced into a deadly, iron-gray cloud, hurtling forward and downward.

The fletching at the end of the arrow rubbed against the air as it flew at high speed, producing a chilling whistling sound.

They easily tore through the swirling snow curtain, the cold glint of the arrowheads forming a continuous line, like a horizontally cascading metal waterfall, heading towards the stunned Shun army positions below the plateau, blotting out the sun!

Below the plateau, all the Shun soldiers looked terrified and trembled all over.

Chaos had broken out on the Shun army's lines, with a deafening roar of noise.

"Raise your shield!"

Finally, an officer in the Shun army's formation reacted and shouted at the top of his lungs.

Their voices had already become distorted and off-key due to extreme fear.

But it's all too late now...

The next instant, terrifying impacts rang out like hail hitting tiles!

The dull thud of arrows piercing flesh, the crisp sound of arrows piercing iron armor, and the heavy impact of arrows striking wooden shields were all intertwined in an instant.

It instantly replaced all previous sounds and became the main theme of this battlefield!
Unlike the light arrows previously fired by the Shun army using the Kaiyuan Bow.

These powerful arrows possess terrifying penetrating power.

Thin leather shields, and even some inferior wooden shields, are as fragile as paper in front of them and are easily pierced!
The arrow, still carrying its momentum, pierced the body behind him, splashing up bursts of warm blood.

Screams and wails erupted like a flood, instantly engulfing the entire front line of the Shun army.

The Shun army's lines were as if they had been slammed down by an invisible giant hand, instantly becoming chaotic.

Some people were knocked down by the force of the arrows and pinned to the snow-covered plateau.

Some soldiers were knocked down by arrows and fell to the ground.

Even worse, some were pinned to their shields by arrows that pierced through them, emitting inhuman screams.

The dense forest of death, which had been on high alert, was instantly flattened and collapsed like a wheat field ravaged by a gale under the first wave of heavy arrows.

The high-pitched swan calls continued incessantly, like a death knell repeatedly tolling over the snow-covered plains.

More arrows rained down, wave after wave, giving the Shun army almost no chance to catch their breath.

Heavy, armor-piercing arrows, with a chilling whistle, relentlessly pounded against the already crumbling Shun army lines.

Each volley was like an invisible hammer crashing down, shattering the chaotic vortex into even greater fragmentation.

The pristine white snowfield was now unrecognizable, stained with countless footprints, fallen corpses, and splattered blood, creating a cruel scene.

The muddy blood plasma mixed with melted snow made it difficult to even stand.

The pungent, nauseating stench of blood seemed to solidify in the cold air, each breath carrying the smell of rust and death.

The morale of the Shun army was shattered by this continuous and irresistible blow.

In the blink of an eye.

It had already fallen into collapse...

Fear spread rapidly like a plague, overwhelming all the courage and desire for the bounty among the Shun army soldiers.

Someone cried out first, dropped their weapon, and turned to flee.

This action was like toppling the first domino, instantly triggering an avalanche-like effect.

A massive rout.

it has started……

The soldiers of the Shun army pushed and shoved each other, running wildly, wanting to get as far away from that rain of deadly arrows as possible!
Military merits and rewards, or the emperor's generous gifts, all become insignificant in the face of the instinct to survive.

The entire front line of the Shun army has turned into a complete mess of despair.

Just as this chaos reached its peak.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The deep, rhythmic sound of the Jingnan army's war drums rolled in once again like thunder.

This time, the drumbeats were more rapid and more intense than ever before!
It is no longer a steady advance, but the prelude to a frenzied attack!
"Tiger!!!"

The deafening shouts instantly merged into one, drowning out all the noise on the battlefield.

With this roar, countless heavily armored infantrymen of the Jingnan Army, clad in heavy armor and wielding tiger-shaped spears, launched a thunderous charge towards the chaotic Shun Army positions below the slope.

The soldiers' heavy breathing and roars intertwined into a symphony of destruction.

The heavy military boots pounded the ground violently, splashing up countless mud and snow mixed with blood.

The thunderous footsteps converged, as if the entire mountain plateau was trembling!

The tips of countless tiger-shaped spears converged into a forest of death, their sharp edges pointing straight ahead.

Through the lens of a telescope.

Hu Zhiyi calmly surveyed the entire situation, his mind undisturbed.

The north wind swept across the loess plateau, and the biting cold, carrying fine snowflakes, lashed against Hu Zhiyi's stern face.

Hu Zhiyi put down his binoculars, a thin layer of frost already forming on the lens. Victories from the front lines arrived like snowflakes, but failed to stir even the slightest ripple in his eyes.

Among all the garrison troops, the strongest in field battles is that of Hanzhong Garrison.

However, in this attack, Hu Zhiyi did not assign the troops from Hanzhong Town as the vanguard, but only as reinforcements for the vanguard.

The main reason is the terrain.

The terrain put the Hanzhong garrison troops, as line infantry, at a significant disadvantage, making it difficult for them to unleash their full combat potential.

The Sea Oath Gun, equipped with bayonets, was meant to give them a certain degree of self-defense capability when facing enemy attacks, rather than to enable them to actually engage in close combat with armored infantry.

The entire division under Hanzhong Town consisted of line infantry divisions.

Because they were equipped with the Sea Oath Gun, their armor was made lighter to make it easier to fire.

The standard armor of ordinary soldiers in Hanzhong Town consisted of an iron-tipped helmet, a pair of iron armbands, and a cloth-covered iron armor.

Although they were wearing iron armor, they were not actually heavily armored soldiers.

Attacking under unfavorable terrain, or being drawn into close combat shortly after firing shots, is undoubtedly sacrificing one's strengths for one's weaknesses.

Therefore, Hu Zhiyi assigned the Sixth and Seventh Divisions of Henan Town to be responsible for the first attack on the left and right flanks.

Most of the soldiers in the two divisions were from the Western Army, and the replacements were all excellent new recruits. A considerable number of the soldiers still fought with cold weapons, and only about half of them carried mortars.

In this battle, Hu Zhiyi mobilized the heavy armor of the army to the two divisions and selected the brave archers of each division to fill the army, which led to the great feat of the Shun army being completely defeated as soon as the battle began.

"Our army's advance on both flanks was extremely smooth. In the central formation of the Shun army, various bugles sounded continuously, and a large number of banners rose and fell between the earthen plateaus."

"The Shun army is frantically reinforcing its left and right flanks in an attempt to solidify its position!"

Upon receiving the latest military intelligence from the scouts at the front, Hu Zhiyi simply waved his hand and gave the order to investigate further.

The advance on both flanks proceeded smoothly as expected, but Hu Zhiyi's gaze remained fixed on Mengyuan Town in the center.

Heavy armor and powerful bows made them unstoppable in breaking through enemy lines and defeating hordes of soldiers, but ultimately they could not sustain a prolonged war.

The Shun army has a large reserve force. If they were to drive away the routed soldiers on the plains, it might trigger a large chain reaction.

However, this is the loess plateau unique to Shaanxi, which is difficult to roll back like a plain.

The decisive factor in this battle was undoubtedly the confrontation in Mengyuan Town.

"Dong-dong-dong-dong!"

The deep and rhythmic beat of the drums echoed continuously among the various formations of the 5th Infantry Division in Henan Town.

Nearly 20,000 soldiers of the Fifth Division of Henan Town advanced slowly like an iron torrent, their steps beating to the beat of drums.

Led by Li Dingguo, the Fifth Division of Henan Town slowly bypassed the slope and ascended the loess platform where Mengyuan Town was located.

In Mengyuan Town, broken walls and ruins stand silently in the wind and snow, charred beams are stuck among the ruins, and collapsed low bunkers form obstacles.

These obstacles inevitably caused the originally well-organized military formation of the Fifth Division of Henan Town to begin to show signs of disarray.

The advancing soldiers had to avoid these obstacles and ruins in order to continue their advance.

The good news is that there are still no Shun troops in Mengyuan Town, and the Shun troops have not set up any defenses as they did yesterday.

Li Dingguo reined in his horse, and the guards behind him also stopped abruptly, their horses leaving messy hoofprints on the snow.

His gaze was sharp as he surveyed the unfamiliar yet familiar land before him.

Although he had seen the sand table and maps before, none of that was as accurate as seeing it for yourself.

"Order all battalions to enter Mengyuan Town according to the pre-arranged plan."

Li Dingguo's voice was exceptionally clear amidst the wind and snow.

"Using the ruins within the town and the surrounding terrain, each unit proceeded to its designated location and quickly constructed a temporary defensive line!"

Once the military order was given and the command flags were waved, the soldiers of the various battalions of the Fifth Division of Henan Town took action immediately upon receiving the signal.

Unlike the 6th and 7th Divisions on the flanks, the 5th Division was a completely line infantry division, with all its soldiers uniformly equipped with mortars.

Apart from the swords at the officers' waists, only a few soldiers were equipped with daggers for last-ditch self-defense.

The terrain and ruins inside and outside Mengyuan Town were thoroughly scouted as early as yesterday.

The General Staff, with the aid of detailed maps, has completed a meticulous deployment.

Li Dingguo personally inspected the terrain of Mengyuan Town and found no oversights before ordering his troops to proceed to their designated positions as planned.

The bright red battle flags of the Jingnan Army were raised one after another at strategic points and high ground, standing out conspicuously against the thin snow.

The engineers quickly entered the ruins and began clearing the firing line and reinforcing the fortifications.

The sounds of shovels striking the broken walls rose and fell, intertwining with the faint shouts of battle coming from both sides, creating an atmosphere of impending doom.

Snowflakes fell on the armor of the constantly moving Jingnan Army soldiers, quickly accumulating into a thin layer.

Li Dingguo raised his head, his gaze passing over the swirling snowflakes and landing on the distant fortress, his eyes showing no trace of urgency.

far away.

On the distant bastion, colorful command flags are waving frequently.

The noise coming from the west of the plateau grew clearer, indicating that the garrison had noticed the commotion.

Time slipped away quietly amidst the wind and snow.

The battle on both flanks intensified, with deafening shouts of battle echoing like a mountain collapsing and a tsunami crashing down, creating a stark contrast to the eerie silence.

Inside the central bastion, Yuan Zongdi frowned, his gaze fixed on the Jingnan Army soldiers who, after ascending the loess platform, occasionally wandered around Mengyuan Town without any intention of attacking. His eyes were full of confusion.

It was only natural that the Jingnan Army would build its defenses on the ruins of Mengyuan Town.

This way, even if the attack at the front is thwarted, there will at least be a place to provide support, preventing a major rout.

However, the defensive line had been in place for half an hour, yet the Jingnan army had not seen any signs of an attack.

When something goes wrong, there must be something fishy.

Yuan Zongdi had a vague sense of foreboding in his heart.

Just then, an even more biting gust of cold wind swept by, whipping up snowflakes that stung my face.

Yuan Zongdi subconsciously tightened his cloak, narrowed his eyes slightly, and raised his hand to shield his brow.

The next instant, Yuan Zongdi seemed to be frozen in place, as if he had been put under a spell.

On the distant boundary line of the loess plateau, black dots are slowly rising.

At first, it was just a blurry outline, appearing and disappearing in the wind and snow.

But as they continued to rise, those black spots gradually revealed their hideous true form.

The biting cold had now transformed into tangible icicles, climbing up Yuan Zongdi's spine section by section.

Yuan Zongdi opened his mouth, his Adam's apple bobbing laboriously, but he found that his throat was blocked by ice shards and he couldn't make a sound.

More and more artillery pieces came into view. One after another, the dark cannons were pushed up the high ground from the foot of the plateau, forming a dense, seemingly endless black tide.

Countless crimson banners billowed wildly behind the artillery position, resembling congealed blood splattered on the snow. (End of Chapter)